Box Score LITTLE ROCK ? The UALR baseball team (20-13) plated three runs in the bottom of the eighth on Saturday afternoon to break a 5-all tie on its way to an 8-5 win over Belmont (16-17) at Gary Hogan Field. Senior Tyson Parks went 2-for-4 with a double, a homer and three RBI to help lead UALR to its fourth-straight victory.
“I didn't think we were real sharp mentally today. We need to find a way to correct that for tomorrow, but we were able to get some big hits from some of our guys today and just found a way to win,” said UALR head coach Scott Norwood. “I think we're just continuing to make strides. We had some big hits in the eighth to give JR (Boling) a bit of a cushion, and he finished it off for us.”
Belmont scored an unearned run in the top of the eighth to tie things up at 5-all, but junior Casey McCollum plated junior Brock Feldmann with a two-out, RBI single through the left side to put the Trojans ahead 6-5. After junior Jake Rowell drew a two-out walk to put two runners on base, junior Jason Houston delivered a two-run triple down the right field line to make it an 8-5 contest.
Senior JR Boling took the mound in the top of the ninth and finished off the win by striking out three Bruins, sandwiched around a single by Nate Woods, to pick up his fifth save of the year.
Parks hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the first (his fourth of the year) and picked up his third RBI in the bottom of the third with a sacrifice fly to left. The Beatrice, Neb.-native added a double in the seventh to increase his team-leading season total to 17.
UALR relievers Garret Graziano, John Maler and Boling combined to hold Belmont to two hits and a run (unearned) over the final 3.1 innings. Maler (2-0) got the win after recording the final two outs of the eighth, before giving way to Boling in the ninth.
Belmont reliever Matt Hamann (4-3) was tagged with the loss after allowing four hits, three walks and four runs to the Trojans over 2.0 innings of work. Leadoff hitter Dylan Craig led the Bruins with a 4-for-5 day at the plate, helping Belmont outhit UALR 12-to-11.
Belmont jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the first after opening the game with back-to-back singles by Craig and Derek Hamblen. The Bruins got their first run when Matt Zeblo plated Craig with a run-scoring single to right. Phillip Parsley followed two batters later with a RBI sacrifice fly to center to give Belmont a 2-0 edge.
One day removed from scoring 10 runs with two outs on the board, the Trojans scored three runs with two outs in the bottom of the first to go ahead 3-2. Parks tied things up with a two-out, two-run shot to right, and senior Landis Wilson made it back-to-back homers with a blast to left.
UALR extended its lead to 4-2 off Parks' sacrifice fly in the third, but Belmont rallied with two runs in the top of the sixth to tie things up at 4-all. The Bruins put runners on second and third with one out after opening the frame with back-to-back singles, and Mark Noth pushed across the first run of the inning with a RBI groundout.
Jared Breen evened things up at 4-all during the next at-bat with a RBI base knock down the right field line, and Craig chased UALR starter Daniel Golden from the game with a single through the left side. Golden went 5.2 innings in a no decision, allowing 10 hits and four runs to the Bruins, with four strikeouts against one walk.
The Trojans reclaimed the lead in the bottom of the seventh after Rowell opened the frame with his second double of the game ? and 13th of the year. Rowell moved over to third on a sacrifice bunt and scored the go-ahead run on a wild pitch to make it a 5-4 ballgame.
Belmont tied things up in the top of the eighth when pinch runner Drew Turner scored from third on a passed ball, but UALR's three-run rally in the bottom half proved to be the difference.
The two teams conclude the three-game series tomorrow afternoon at 1 p.m.
